Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!samsung!usc!snorkelwacker!bloom-beacon!SHAMASH.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@SHAMASH.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU (der Mouse)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re:  X11 app for SPARC/DECstation FTPable
Message-ID: <9008122357.AA21372@shamash.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 12 Aug 90 23:57:31 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 38

> Subject: X11 app for SPARC/DECstation FTPable

[As someone said, this belonged elsewhere.  But I have other comments.]

> DesignView/UNIX is available for anonymous FTP from EDDIE.MIT.EDU
...
> This version of DesignView is fully functional for at least 30 days
> from the date of installation on your system.  During the
> installation of DesignView on your machine, you will be given a
> server code, which you must supply to Premise via our 800 number.
> You will be given back an authorization key that will activate the
> software on your machine and machines on your network.

This strikes me as a bit strange.  If you're giving out these
"authorization key"s to anyone who bothers to ask, why have them at
all?

Oh, right, so the program will break in a month, by which time you can
have started charging.

How long do you expect the "authorization key" mechanism to last?  With
the stuff available for free, there's not even any legal reason to not
crack the key mechanism.  (As I understand Canadian law, that is.  I
certainly don't expect you could collect any damages if you won a suit
even in the US.  But I'm not a lawyer and don't begin to understand the
convoluted monstrosity that passes for a legal system down there, or
even the one we have up here.)

Grumpf.  I'm tempted to grab a copy and post the patch to crack it.
But I probably won't because it's not worth the bother for a
binary-only program that doesn't sound as though it'd be at all useful
to me anyway.  (There's also a slight risk I've misunderstood Canadian
law on the issue; I don't need the headache that could become.)

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu